Sunday, January 17, 2016

Sued for Playing Christian Music: Michigan Dentist

Tina M. Marshall, a dentist in Lake Orion, Michigan, is being sued in Oakland County by former employees Nancy Kordus, Kimberly Hinson, Tammy Kulis and Sara Bambard for violating Michigan’s Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act. The plaintiffs claim they were fired and discriminated against for objecting to Marshall's choice of Christian music played in the dental office and for their rejection of Marshall's prayers.

However, the story is much deeper than this lawsuit as investigative media sources allude to Marshall's association with co-defendant Craig Stasio, a local chiropractor and alleged "cult leader" who brainwashes young adults.

David Kotzian, who is representing the former Marshall employees, would not comment further on what damages his clients are seeking from the suit but referred to the complaint, which specifies “they are seeking damages for loss of past and future income and employment benefits, outrage, humiliation, embarrassment, mental anxiety, emotional distress, and loss of professional reputation.”

Lawyers for Marshall filed a response to the lawsuit in November, denying claims she forced her religious practices on her staff.

Her lawyer, Keith Jablonski, told The Washington Post this week his client is “being attacked in this lawsuit for her Christian beliefs, based solely on her desire to play religious music and radio stations in the dental office of the business that she owns.”

“We believe that when the facts, and not baseless allegations, are presented to a jury, we will establish that this group of former disgruntled employees are simply looking to profit off of their own prejudices towards Dr. Marshall and her Christian faith,” he said. “Dr. Marshall flatly denies engaging in any discriminatory employment practices.”

Marshall purchased the dental practice in 2008 but her religious practices were only incorporated at the office as she became part of a local ministry run by Craig Stasio in 2013.

During a restructuring of the dental office [orchestrated by Stasio], almost all of Marshall's previous employees were fired or resigned, apart from one dental hygienist who still works for the practice.

Of the plaintiffs, Hansin [sic] had worked for the practice, previously ran by Dr. Raphael Flajole, as a dental hygienist for about 32 years. Kordus began working for the practice as a dental assistant in about 1993, and Kulis at the front desk in 1994. The three became employees of Marshall when she purchased the practice in 2008. Bambard began working for Marshall in 2011 at the front desk.

According to the lawsuit Marshall began playing the Christian music after she and her daughter Brittney joined Stasio's ministry sometime in 2013.

The lawsuit also alleges that Marshall would pray over patients receiving dental treatment, hung religious pictures in her office, placed holy water at her front desk, and maintained a diary of religious activity that occurred at her practice. The front cover of the diary stated "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."

Media coverage kicked in after chiropractor Dr. Craig Stasio of Centerline offered his business expertise in revamping the dentist office, including terminating employees' contracts and organizing internal departments.

Fox 2 News has also aired several stories on Stasio in 2014 and one on November 23, 2015 claiming he is a cult leader, that he is ripping families apart, and most recently, that he is trying to groom teens, or recruit them, to a Christian ministry.

In a WJBK-TV report released on Wednesday, correspondent Rob Wolchek investigated claims from more than 12 family members who allege that Dr. Craig Stasio, who owns and operates the Clinton Township-based Agape Massage Therapy & Chiropractic, persuaded their relatives to drop out of college and move into a commune filled with office employees.

According to the organization's Facebook page, they "are a Christian faith-based company offering both massage therapy and chiropractic services. Glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ!"

Wolchek sent two undercover reporters into Stasio's office to learn more about its employees.

Parents told WJBK-TV that their daughters have referred to Stasio as "the prophet." Sources also said that literature associated with the movement suggests that he believes in a three-year tribulation, "where the sign of the beast is a computer chip" and "most people that are churched will hold onto the law and perish in the fire."

Stasio refrained from speaking with Fox 2 News investigator Rob Wolchek in 2014, however has since denied being the leader of any cult, and other allegations including that he had influenced his followers to distance themselves from their families and previous ways of life.

The Oakland County Sheriff Department Orion Substation has looked into the previous news stories, and no incidents have been reported about the dentist office on Baldwin.

Stasio explained the "following" is a "fellowship" and even a "fraternity" consisting of 20 to 30 people gathering on almost a daily basis.

They are in their mid-twenties to sixties, who are Christians simply "getting together, eating, praying, worshiping, reading the Bible, and fellowshipping" in non-structured group gatherings.

A Facebook post to The Lake Orion Chat Room dated July 17 read that a few changes had come to a local dentist office, including "Craig Stasio the Cult Chiropractor doctor" who "came in last week with a whole new crew from his ministry to work in the office."

When asked if Jim Marshall felt like he was in a cult he said, "absolutely not. I don't know why people come up with that. When Jesus was here on earth they actually said he was in a cult, it's in the Bible. We follow Jesus Christ, he's the one in Heaven, not Craig Stasio."

Jim Marshall said they had hired Stasio as their consultant because he has over 20 years of business experience.

Several instances in Dr. Craig Stasio's past have left previous employees of Dr. Tina Marshall puzzled as to why she requested he restructure her business practice.

[Stasio recounted,] "I said to Tina, 'the only way this is going to work, where I'll have any capacity to help you, is they have to be under the impression that when I come in I have jurisdiction to do what I see I have jurisdiction to do."

According to the 2008 Disciplinary action report of the Michigan Bureau of Health Professionals, Craig Allen Stasio, D.C., was fined and put on probation May 13, 2008 for a violation of General Duty/Negligence.

One report from 2004 determined Stasio had engaged in sexual activity with a massage therapist, which Stasio also confirmed.

Stasio was taken to jail in Sterling Heights, and after being released hired a retired FBI investigator for the case, resulting in the prosecuting attorney dropping all charges. Stasio said he could prove he was not even in the same city as the massage therapist when she made the call, and had multiple witnesses and testimony.

Stasio turned to Christianity ten years ago after a "radical life changing supernatural encounter with God."

Both Jim and Tina Marshall said his past is of no importance, and trust him along with his recommendations.